Equity mutual fund loads have fallen, while stock ownership rates and equity mutual fund use have risen, plausibly boosting the stock wealth elasticity of U.S. consumption. Because of limited wealth and diversification needs, load declines likely spurred middle-income families to invest in equity, consistent with cross-section data and the calibration model of Heaton and Lucas (2000). In load-m...

Physicochemical features of a cell's microenvironment can exert important effects on cell behavior and include the effects of matrix elasticity on cell differentiation processes, but molecular mechanisms are largely mysterious. Here we highlight recent reports of a mechanical dependence to growth factor activation, with a particular focus on release of TGFbeta (Transforming Growth Factor beta) ...

The capital income share exceeds the capital output elasticity if capital owners extract rents. Based on a sample of 111 countries during the period 1970-2010, this paper provides estimates of the capital output elasticity and compares these to countries' capital income shares. Three findings arise: (i) for the average country in the sample, the capital income share significantly exceeds the ca...

Cloud environments are being increasingly used for deploying and executing business processes and particularly Service-based Business Processes (SBPs). One of the expected features of Cloud environments is elasticity at different levels. It is obvious that provisioning of elastic platforms is not sufficient to provide elasticity of the deployed business process. Therefore, SBPs should be provid...

The efficacy of one-stage artificial dermis and skin grafting was tested in a nude rat model. Reconstruction with artificial dermis is usually a two-stage procedure with 2- to 3-week intermission. If one-stage use of artificial dermis and split-thickness skin grafting are effective, the overall burden on patients and the medical cost will markedly decrease. The graft take rate, contraction rate...

We propose a framework for the unified analysis of mixed methods for elasticity with weakly symmetric stress. Based on a commuting diagram in the weakly symmetric elasticity complex and extending a previous stability result, stable mixed methods are obtained by combining Stokes stable and elasticity stable finite elements. We show that the framework can be used to analyze most existing mixed me...

Poly[( R )-3-hydroxybutyrate- co -( )-3-hydroxyvalerate] (P(3HB- -3HV)) elastic fibers were prepared at temperatures close to or below the melting temperature by partially thin crystals with no associated reduction in molecular weight. The obtained exhibited properties and good long-term stability of their mechanical properties, even after aging for 330 days. Cycle tests conducted simultaneous ...

This paper examines the stochastic behavior of the 1-month interbank rate in ten countries. Various one-factor models are estimated using an exact maximum likelihood estimator, which is based on the recently introduced Gaussian methodology. Interest rate volatility is found to be less sensitive to interest rate levels than stated in the literature. In addition, the constant elasticity variance ...

BACKGROUND Understanding the physiological, chemical, and biophysical characteristics of the skin helps us to arrange a proper approach to the management of skin diseases. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to measure 6 biophysical characteristics of normal skin (sebum content, hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), erythema index, melanin index, and elasticity) in a normal population ...

The elasticity and viscosity of the human erythrocyte membrane were measured as a function of the concentration of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) in a suspending solution containing 1 mg/ml albumin, approximately 5 X 10(5) cells/ml and between 0.0 and 0.2 microgram/ml WGA. Membrane elasticity was characterized by the elastic shear modulus, which provided a measure of the resistance of the membrane...